Questions about Capes!!

[Lefty]

Originally Posted by Ivy Mom

Oh, reading about Harley & Jazz makes me want my baby now

Lefty, Harley sounds as adorable as Jazz. How did you bring him into your home? Was he at a pet store?

Lefty, could you give me specific measurements of your cage? I work part-time - but with the commute am gone about 7 hours at a time. My little conure & tiel are okay with me being gone so long. When I come home I open their cage doors (they are in my study/computer room) & I can leave them there with occasional supervision.

I am trying to figure out where to put Gertie - I would like to keep her in my study while I am gone so she can be around other birds (after quaratine of course). But I think I will have to separate her from my other birds when I am home - i.e. I should not leave them out alone as I do now. (please note that I don't leave them totally unsupervised when I am home - I check on them frequently).

Maybe I will use a couple of playstands or something. I also have thought of a smaller cage to use for when I am at home but can't be there to supervise her. That way she can play by herself in another room when I am at home but too busy to supervise her. And then with the larger cage in the study with the other birds she can have company when I am gone.

What do you think?

I think that Gertie (or Janie) my new baby (ha see I've already named her & it might be a year before I get her)...might need a large cage since I will be gone. My little green cheek has a 25 w x 20 d x 40 tall dome-top cage and she uses every single inch!

I"ve read that Capes need lots of chewing toys - is this true? Beth - thanks for your descriptions of Jazz's toys & also directions for the net - I think I might start making one now :0

Harleys cage is 38 tall but stands on 2 1/2 foot legs, it is 32 wide and 28 deep. He spends a lot of time on top of it , he had a perch and climbing latters on it. I got the cage when I got him. I came by him because a started a small dog care business and the woman who owned him had 4 show dogs and Harley, she also worked 12 hr days. Her dogs did not like him so she kept him in a room alone. When I would go to her house to take care of the dogs I started stoping by his cage and sitting and talking with him. She knew she wasn't giving him the time he needed and she was getting mice in the room. She asked me to take him for a little while so she could exterminate. I was more then glad to do it. Well we fell for each other and she did not seem all that anxious for him to come home. I told her I was crazy about him and wanted to buy him from her. She agreed to let me pay 1/2 of his cost including the cage. We agreed that I would keep him as mine with vet care food etc. If something happened to me she would take him back. We have become friends and she comes to visit him often. Thats a long story for a short question. He is my first bird of any kind so I'm a novice who just got luckey.

[Ivy Mom]

What a wonderful story of how you got Harley. The woman was very loving and smart to realize that she could not give Harley enough time and attention. I wondered because I've never seen Capes listed as rescues or re-homing birds.

[Ivy Mom]

What size bar spacing would be okay for a Cape? I am looking at the Featherland cage - I think it has 1 inch spacing? Would I just look for
proper spacing for a Timneh grey or large conure size parrot?

Thanks so much!

Ivy Mom

[bethn]

Ivy, our caged housed our Timneh, it has 3/4" spacing. As long as it is large enough for lots of toys and a bird that is slightly larger than a timneh, (Jazz is slightly longer than our Gryph was, and slightly taller, his legs and neck seem to be where he gets the extra height), it should be fine. He likes his cage alot but recently has decided he would rather be on me. We are working on not flying to me everytime he makes eye contact, so far I am working on it, and he is flying :o).

[Ivy Mom]

Thanks Beth. Will you keep Jazz fully flighted? Are Capes like Greys in that they are heavy-bodied flyers? I probably will keep my baby clipped but haven't ruled out free flight either.

[bethn]

Ivy we are still debating . He is a little terroe right now, flying at us with talons outstretched and bea gaping... it is li e some prehistoric horror movie... ''He's coming, he's coming, run" yesterday while I was out & hubby was "watching" him.he flew to table and ate my latop eyboard. Several letters dont wor at all , some wont reattach, and others require multiple hits to wor . New eyboard is arriving tomorrow!

Right now he is a pretty good flyer. Our TAG never flew, he did not fledge as far as we are aware. We left his feathers in a mild clip so he could glide, but he pretty much flew li e a bric.

Li e greys,they have very prominenet eel bones. So the vet would li e to see him develop as much muscle mass as possile before we clip if we decide to in order to give
him as much protection as possible.

Any words that seem odd in this post please insert the second letter after I in the spaces. That should clear up any questions.Unfortunately,it is one of my nonwor ing letters.:o(.

This baby has a real thing for electronics. He chased my visiting daughter around the couch for her phone and screamed when she would not let him have it.

He has ust put himself to bed. (letter right after I doesn't wor either :{ . ttyl

[Iochroma]

I have two capes, both Brown-necked, but both came to me long after their weaning period. They still get all juvenile at warm wet food, and they're 4 and 6 years old.

Both are "easy keepers", but they aren't good about eating green things. They eat pellets, oily nuts, beans-corn-rice, and fruits well, but I have to concede, most of the green food ends up on the floor. I would work extra-hard at getting any new Cape to enjoy green food if I could.

I break or put a hole in their walnuts and brazilnuts, but they open almonds like pros. I put red palm oil in the b-c-r, but they do make messes with it.

Their plumage is beautiful; both of them are flighted. I would consider it for your bird(s). Many Poicephalus are way too nervous for free flight, but Capes are calmer and smarter then most. They're really special.

Hope this is of some use to the original poster.